Finding the Valley's Best Run

By Felipe Buitrago

THIS WEEKEND'S Virtual Run for World Run Day 2008 isn't the latest Wii Fit game-you actually have to put on some running shoes and leave your house. The objective is to run your favorite course for your favorite charity, regardless of the distance, at the same time runners all over the world are running theirs. And if your route is picked as the area's best, soon you'll find that everyone is doing it. That's because this Fourth of July, participating runners across the country will submit their favorite; one route per city will be chosen as the official course for the actual World Run Day on Nov. 9. Since Bill McDermott founded it in 1999, World Run Day has grown exponentially. Nine years ago, it counted a mere 100 runners in 75 cities. Now it is a worldwide event that will have more than 2,500 participants. Routes as well as participants in the past have been extremely varied: from 4 to 65 years of age and distances from a short 50-yard dash to a full marathon. So there is no reason why one of those routes can't be to Grandma's house for the family barbecue. For more information and registration go to www.runday.com.